Israeli Medical Association Chief's Salary Soars 22.5% to Nearly $20,000 Monthly
Translated & summarized from Vesty by baba
Lea Wapner, General Secretary of the Israeli Medical Association, received a 22.5% salary increase in 2024, bringing her monthly pre-tax pay to 70,747 shekels. This raise occurred while the association negotiated a separate wage agreement for doctors. The IMA defended the pay, stating it reflects Wapner's dual role and follows an eight-year salary freeze, citing an external study and her contributions. The association's overall salary expenses saw a minimal increase, and it reported a financial surplus.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli Medical Association General Secretary Lea Wapner's salary rose 22.5% to 70,747 shekels monthly in 2024.
- Wapner's pay increase occurred during war negotiations for a general 7% doctor wage hike.
- The IMA defended Wapner's salary, citing her dual role and an eight-year pay freeze.
- Wapner's total annual compensation is estimated between 1.52 and 1.66 million shekels.
- The IMA reported a 18.4 million shekel surplus, though much is non-cash accounting gains.
Lea Wapner, the General Secretary and legal advisor for the Israeli Medical Association (IMA), saw her monthly pre-tax salary increase by 22.5% to 70,747 shekels (approximately $19,000) in 2024. This marks a 13,000 shekel monthly raise from her 2023 salary of 57,747 shekels. The information, reported by the economic publication "Calcalist" on October 19, is based on the association's financial statements from 2022-2024. This pay hike occurred during the ongoing war, while the IMA was negotiating a temporary wage agreement for doctors that included a 7% increase for all physicians. Wapner is currently representing doctors in negotiations for a new, long-term agreement.
Despite Wapner's significant raise, the IMA's overall salary expenses for 2024 rose by only 0.6% to 29.4 million shekels. The next four highest-paid employees at the IMA earn between 30,619 and 36,230 shekels monthly, roughly half of Wapner's salary. Beyond her base pay, Wapner is entitled to 13th and 14th salary payments. Additional employer contributions for social benefits, bonuses, perks, and reimbursements totaled 667,000 shekels in 2024, a 23% increase from the previous year. "Calcalist" estimates Wapner's total annual compensation for 2024 to be between 1.52 and 1.66 million shekels.
The IMA, funded primarily by its 32,227 members' dues which generated 87.3 million shekels in 2024, reported a surplus of 18.4 million shekels. However, a significant portion of this surplus, 15.3 million shekels, consists of non-cash accounting gains, primarily from property revaluation, making it unavailable for budget expenditures.
The Israeli Medical Association stated that its financial data, including executive salaries, is publicly available on its website annually. They emphasized their long-standing practice of voluntary disclosure and rejected the report as an "exposure." The IMA explained that Wapner's compensation reflects her dual role as executive director and legal advisor, asserting that her pay is fair and aligned with industry standards. They noted that her last raise was after eight years without adjustment and was based on an external study by Professor Moshe Zviran, also citing her contributions to the IMA's development, healthcare system knowledge, and new initiatives like medical innovation and an educational campus. Wapner has been with the organization for approximately 20 years and has recently spoken out about the critical need for increased government funding to address healthcare disparities and the emigration of Israeli doctors due to challenging work conditions and economic factors.
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